


Keep Going (The Dinner Date)

by Lavender_Menace



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Awkwardness, First Dates, Introspection, M/M, Robbie has Layers, Robbie is Trying, alcohol mention, supportacus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25187449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_Menace/pseuds/Lavender_Menace
Summary: Sportacus takes Robbie on a date, and Robbie lets himself enjoy it
Relationships: Robbie Rotten/Sportacus
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	Keep Going (The Dinner Date)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to alexzenderborn again for beta-ing this for me!
> 
> This fic was written to fill the monthly prompt "Date Night" for the blog lazytownpost on tumblr, and it can also be found on my LT blog sportacringe

They met up at five, early for Robbie, but if they wanted to spend any time together before Sportacus' bedtime then he knew that he was going to have to compromise. If they were ever to have a shot at being a couple then compromise would likely be a major part of their lives from here on. On some level the thought made Robbie’s skin crawl, but another ever-growing part of him was tired of being alone. Just last week he’d found himself recording his own voice so that he’d have someone to argue with. The ensuing fight had left Robbie sitting at his chair staring blankly at the wall for several hours. If he had to choose between repeating that experience and spending one on one time with the local flip flopping menace, then he’d take Sportacus.

The hero in question wore his typical uniform with the adorable addition of a blue clip-on bow tie. Robbie resisted the urge to comment on his choice, instead simply telling Sportacus that he looked nice, blushing lightly as he choked the words out. 

Despite his laziness Robbie Rotten never missed an opportunity to dress up and had prepared himself a new outfit for the occasion. The indigo trousers paired with a lavender collared shirt were more subtle than his usual clothing, but he was dressing for a date rather than a day of villainy and he knew that sometimes subtlety could get him further than sheer dramatic camp. If only on occasion.

"You look nice too Robbie," Sportacus replied, smiling brightly. The light of the evening washed him in gold and Robbie was forcefully reminded of some great hellenic hero of mythology, noble and shining. Bow tie or not, Sportacus cut an impressive picture. 

"So, Sportadork." Robbie tried to recover, forcing their conversation forward. "You still haven't told me where we're supposed to be going." his tone was no ruder than usual, but he still winced, in this setting it seemed inappropriately harsh. Softening himself enough to begin a relationship would be difficult. He wondered if he had gone too long without maintaining even a friendship of any sort, if isolation had permanently socially crippled him. Robbie had never been good at dealing with people, and his career choice had allowed the problem to worsen itself in a vicious cycle only interrupted by his periodic interactions with the townspeople and Sportacus himself. 

Even his new date outfit was a disguise in its own way.

“The café!” Sportacus replied, still smiling sunnily. He was nearly blinding; Robbie rolled his eyes. The café was one of three restaurants in town, and while it was technically one of the properties owned by the Spoilero family, the business was run by the Zweets’ who had turned the small and relatively plain venue into a charming local meeting spot.  It was also the only restaurant in town that had a menu that allowed for Sportacus dietary restrictions. Mrs. Zweets had altered her menu, clearly marking any item that contained processed sugars as well as gluten, nuts, and meat. While Sportacus had inspired the change it had ended up benefiting the community as a whole—typical Sportacus. 

“Wait a second” Robbie pulled a face, looking at the hero quizzically. “Doesn’t the café close at three?” 

“They’re open for dinner now." Sportacus replied "Only two days a week, but Mr. Zweets wanted to try some new entrees so they made a whole new dinner menu." Robbie nodded, it sounded pretty good. In addition to their wide variety of allergy friendly and relatively healthy food options, they also tended to offer a wide selection of junk food. Their deserts in particular had always been delicious, and Robbie knew that if nothing else he’d walk away from their date with a delicious slice of cake.

They made their way to the cafe in a silence that was somewhere between companionable and awkward, their relationship too new to make stretches of silence completely comfortable. At one point Sportacus flipped into a handstand and walked the rest of the way on his hands. Freed from the burden of making eye contact Robbie allowed his nervousness to show on his face as he chewed a few new holes in his cuticles. 

The table in the back corner was by far the best, and Robbie’s usual spot. The server took one look at him and led them to it, Sportacus following placidly behind, once again walking upright. They ordered without incident before allowing silence to fall again. Internally Robbie cursed; he wasn’t much for conversation on a good day, and he’d never heard Sportacus really talk with anyone but the brats. What had made them think this was a good idea? 

“So, how has your day been?” Sportacus began the conversation with a valiant effort, the crease on his brow contradicting the otherwise winning smile he’d plastered on his face. Robbie managed to choke on a sip of his water in his first attempt at responding. 

“Alright I suppose.” He tried to compose himself “Neutral. I don’t think I really did anything.” If they hadn’t planned this date Robbie probably wouldn’t have even known what day it was. He’d forgone sleep for some twenty hours by this point and hadn’t left the lair in longer than that. It would have been nice to blame nerves and Sportacus for his sleeplessness and stagnation but it was unfortunately just another part of Robbie’s routine. He bit his lip, glancing down at his clean place setting. It wasn’t the sort of thing that he wanted to talk about.

Seemingly encouraged by Robbie’s attempt at a response Sportacus soldiered on, launching into a description of his day. As he spoke his efforts paid off as Robbie felt himself relax, adding his own comments and criticisms into Sportacus’ story in a toned down and strictly verbal version of their usual interactions. Their conversation was still mildly antagonistic but the bickering was playful and mostly one-sided. By the time that their food arrived Robbie found himself leaning forward with his chin resting in one hand, completely at ease. 

They continued their conversation as they ate. Sportacus accused him of actually knowing the children's names and Robbie responded by coming up with outrageous nicknames and mispronunciations, each one further from the truth than the last. Sportacus spent more time laughing than picking at his salad and Robbie felt a surge of pride as he continued to goof around. 

But eventually as the meal went on he realized that the hero wasn't really eating. By the time that Robbie was three quarters of the way finished with his pasta he noticed that Sportacus had only eaten about a quarter of his salad, and seemed to be more focused on pushing the vegetables back and forth across his plate than actually finishing. Robbie frowned but said nothing. 

Instead he changed the subject.

"Where did you come from anyway?" It might have been a little abrupt but Robbie was self aware enough to acknowledge that he'd never been graceful and he wasn't about to start now. For his part Sportacus didn't seem put out. 

"I come from a small village far north of here." Robbie noted that the hero did not name his hometown and added it to his growing list of _mysterious_ _things about Sportacus that he would address later_.

"And you just decided that one day you wanted to be a hero?" Robbie teased, probing further.

"Essentially yes?" Sportacus replied. The hero was blushing slightly, fidgeting with a piece of radish that he'd speared with the end of his fork. "It's something of a family tradition, but I did decide to do it by my own volition." Interesting.

"What about you?" Sportacus said, turning the conversation around. "Have you always lived in Lazytown?" 

"Nope." Robbie replied, punctuating his statement with a final bite of his pasta. "I was born in Mayhemtown and worked for a while in Busy City before coming here." He wasn't shy about his origins, anyone who cared enough would be able to access his criminal record and find out the gist of it for themselves.

"You  _ worked _ ?" Sportacus asked, taken aback.

"As a henchman and then as a villain in my own right, though I did pose as an architectural engineer for a while to keep the law off my back." Again all essentially common knowledge. Robbie was sure that the mayor was aware of pretty much everything that he'd just told Sportacus. It was common enough of a practice to run a background check on a new villain when they moved into your town; and if Milford knew then Robbie was sure that Bessie Busybody knew as well.

Sportacus looked pensive. Robbie wondered if he'd been expecting more of a tragic backstory than that. Before they could say anything else on the subject their server reappeared. Despite the interruption Robbie was relieved, he had been enjoying the evening so far despite their awkwardness and was happy to be able to procrastinate on any more serious conversation. He and Sportacus would get to know each other in time, the hero didn’t need to know every gory detail of his life right on their first date. Not when it feels like he’s relearning how to talk with every sentence.

“Can I get you guys any dessert?” She asked, twirling a pen absentmindedly between her fingers. “We also just started serving drinks, we have a new cocktail menu.” The server pulled the aforementioned slip of laminated paper from her apron, completely unaware as Robbie rolled his eyes. That was the last thing this town needed. 

“I’ll take a slice of the chocolate cake to go.” No matter how well the date was going Robbie had no desire to remain in the restaurant. Sportacus was obviously not planning on finishing his salad, and Robbie was beginning to feel the exhaustion that so often plagued him after going out in public. He hoped that someone as healthy as Sportacus wouldn’t suggest that they pause for cocktails, Robbie didn’t drink and that was yet another conversation that he was absolutely not looking forward to having. Thankfully the hero simply asked for their check. 

They split the bill—which was, in Robbie’s opinion the best way to imply mutual respect on a first date—and left the restaurant, stepping out into the sunset. Upon glancing at his watch Robbie realized that they still had another forty-five minutes before Sportacus would have to return to his airship. The town was quiet, all of the children inside, doing homework or eating dinner with their families. It was Robbie's favorite part of the day. 

“Can I walk you home?” Sportacus said, tentatively reaching for Robbie’s hand. For a split second Robbie glanced around making sure that there was no spying audience before he took the hero’s hand. It didn’t have to mean anything, at least nothing more than that he was enjoying himself. He was out of practice at that too. Throughout the evening Robbie had repeatedly had to swallow his pride in order to allow himself to have fun and to appreciate Sportacus’ company. 

When Sportacus had asked him out in the first place he had nearly said no immediately. First out of pure contrary instinct, and then again out of defensiveness. It had taken a serious leap of faith for him to even hear the hero out, the entire concept had seemed too far fetched to be true. He had asked, bewildered and furious, why someone like Sportacus would ever want to spend time with someone like Robbie Rotten? He had interrogated the hero, searching for an ulterior motive, and when he had found none he’d balked again, telling the hero to ask again the next day. In true Sportacus fashion the hero had taken his request with good grace. 

The second time that Sportacus had asked him out Robbie said yes. 

And now he was holding his hand. Sportacus’s hands were warm and his grasp was firm. Together they made their way through the park, enjoying the last of the day’s sunlight. The route they took was not the most direct way to Robbie’s lair but Robbie said nothing, too focused on the heat radiating up his arm from where Sportacus’ hand touched his own. How long had it been since he’d been touched like this? They looped around the baseball field, Robbie walking sedately while Sportacus nearly skipped, their gaits discordant but not impossible to coordinate. As they reached Robbie’s favorite bench he let go of the hero’s hand, and refrained from rolling his eyes as the hero immediately did a front flip before turning to face Robbie. 

“Robbie,” Sportacus said, letting his hesitance show for the first time this evening. “Are you alright?” Robbie tensed, wondering if he’d done something wrong.

“I’m fine.” He replied, his earlier anxiety reappearing with a vengeance. He’d thought he was doing well. “Why?” 

“I’m having fun being with you.” Sportacus assured him, hopping from one foot to another like an agitated seabird. “But I can help but notice that you’ve been really polite the whole night!” The hero frowned as he spoke, his moustache twitching. Robbie hadn’t known that being polite when on a date with someone was the incorrect thing to do, he’d been trying his best. 

“What’s wrong with that? Aren’t you supposed to be polite if you agree to go on a date with someone?”

“Well yes” Sportacus didn’t stop hopping, but he slowed slightly. “But Robbie, you’re never like that!” It was difficult to keep from flinching but Robbie persevered, desperately holding to his dignity as he felt his cheeks warm in a mixture of embarrassment and irritation. 

He was self-aware enough to understand that he was overly sensitive at times, and while he usually couldn’t be bothered to reign in that side of himself he was making the effort tonight. Sportacus had gone through the trouble of convincing Robbie that his desire to go on a date with him was genuine, and Robbie had resolved to put forth equal respect by trying to behave on said date. He shouldn't have bothered, apparently Sportacus didn’t appreciate the effort.

“I wasn’t polite the whole night.” He argued, one hand resting on his hip as he used the other one to gesture, emphasizing his point. “We bickered about food through most of the meal and I made fun of the brats.” In fact Robbie had considered that conversation the most entertaining part of the evening. He and Sportacus played well off one another, both as nemeses and conversation partners. 

“But you were all right?” Bless him, the hero still looked worried. 

“I was fine.” It felt strange to reassure Sportacus like this. “I-” He trailed off. “I was putting in an effort to be civilized, there’s nothing wrong.

“Oh.” Oh indeed. Sportacus looked chastised and Robbie felt himself deflate slightly, belatedly registering that he wasn’t having fun anymore. 

“Listen, Sportaflop.” Robbie’s eyes met the hero’s as he summoned as much sincerity as he could “I don’t always need to be stomping around ranting, it’s something that I  _ can  _ do and the brats really bring out that side of me, but I’m an adult.” Unfortunately. “Who can behave in different ways in different settings. You’re the one who asked me on a date, if you want to spend time alone with me then you’re going to have to recognize that you and I are both multifaceted people who will have to see different sides of each other.” 

“I know that.” Sportacus replied. “Of course I do, it was just-” the hero paused, looking as though he was searching for the right thing to say. “I didn’t expect you to take this...to take  _ me  _ seriously.”

“Well I did make you ask me out twice.” And on two seperate days at that. “Specifically so that I could be sure that  _ you  _ weren’t just messing with  _ me _ .”

Sportacus nodded. 

“And since you played along and convinced me, I figured I’d grant you the same dignity.” Robbie grimaced, his hands clenching and opening in staccato rhythm-less movements. “I’ve had people do that to me you know, jerk me around, or ask to spend time with me just to never show up.”

“Robbie, that's terrible.” Sportacus looks almost heartbroken at the thought and Robbie feels himself soften. 

“Maybe it is or maybe it isn’t, but what matters is that you didn’t do that to me, and so I figured that I’d put some effort into this date thing.”

Sportacus seems placated but there’s still a shadow of sadness in his eyes. The bounce seems to have gone out of him and Robbie regrets that he was the one to take it. However he might have been treated in the past, whichever mundane cruelties that he’d endured, he was here now at the end of a nice date with a kind hero. Now was not the time to dwell on how he’d been hurt. Robbie wondered how Sportacus could stand to exist and interact with people all day every day with his compassionate soul and bleeding heart. 

He figured that if there was any proof that the hero was strong it was that he continued to go out and help people every day. Robbie didn’t consider himself to be an empathetic person, and even he got tired of other people’s mundane suffering after even a few hours of interaction. Caring so much for everyone sounded agonizing. 

“Do you want to keep going?” Sportacus asked. He peered up at Robbie with impossibly blue eyes and Robbie resisted the ridiculous urge to tell Sportacus that he’d follow him anywhere. Instead he nodded. 

“Sure.” Robbie wondered briefly when his life had begun this current slow descent into weirdness. He probably had only himself to blame. If he hadn’t decided that he was too lazy to chase the resident hero out of town for multiple weeks in a row then maybe said human wouldn't have decided that he was a feasible romantic partner. In the end it had been simply easier to foil whatever Sportacus and the brats’ game of the day happened to be so that he could go back to sleep, rather than spend large amounts of time and effort plotting to remove the hero for good. Once again Robbie Rotten had been foiled not by Sportacus but by his own laziness. He took the hero’s hand. 

They walked together back to Robbie’s lair, hand in hand as the sun set behind the billboard. Robbie had decided to lead the conversation this time and he’d chosen to strike up a debate about which of the places in town offered the best view. Sportacus repeatedly advocated for places that were too high up for Robbie to even consider, while Robbie offered interesting hidden away places that Sportacus was far too new in town to know about. Eventually Robbie declared that for their next date he would have to take Sportacus to one of these places to prove its superiority. 

If he was pleased but the way Sportacus had smiled when he’d suggested another date Robbie didn't acknowledge it, instead continuing his argument that the danger of falling to one’s death ruined any enjoyment that a person could get from an otherwise lovely view. 

He’d prove his point on their next date. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have some footnotes! They didn't survive formatting but that's fine!
> 
> 1\. The Zweets are paying Stingy’s parents rent and the kids are too young to understand economic inequality, someday Stingy will be forced to reconcile his parents’ wealth with his friends’ struggles and come to a conclusion about greed and how it affects those around him
> 
> 2\. Robbie's "mysterious things about Sportacus that he would address later" list has been growing since the first day the hero arrived in Lazytown
> 
> 3\. Robbie needs therapy
> 
> ☆☆☆ comments make me write more ☆☆☆


End file.
